GC - Page - Bryce - Zion - Vegas
 

Hi everyone,

I am planning a road trip for myself and my boyfriend for this coming May. We are 23 and 27 and are planning 2 "legs" of the trip, one in Arizona/Utah and the other in CA. For the first leg of our trip, we are planning to do the following:

Day 1:
-Fly to Phoenix
-Drive to Grand Canyon, stopping in Sedona
-Drive time: approx 4 hours
-Hotel: whatever is available! suggestions welcome :)

Day 2:
-Explore Grand Canyon, South rim
-Lipan Point, South Kaibab Trail (maybe), Bright Angel Trail - one of them
-Drive to Page, AZ
-Drive time: approx 3 hours
-Hotel: Marriott/Holiday Inn

Day 3:
-Antelope Canyon Tour
-Drive to Bryce Canyon
-Drive time: approx 3 hours
-Hotel: Best Western Ruby's Inn

Day 4:
-Explore Bryce Canyon
-Navajo Loop and Queen’s Garden Trails
-Drive to Zion Canyon
-Drive time: approx 2.5 hours
-Hotel: unsure

Day 5:
-Explore Zion Canyon
-Emerald Pools Trail, Narrows Trail - one of them
-Drive to Las Vegas
-Drive time: approx. 2.5 hours

Day 6 & 7:
-Las Vegas

I was wondering.... is there a way I can eliminate one day in this trip between Grand Canyon and Bryce? The way we originally had it planned was to wake up EARLY, explore Grand Canyon (sunrise, short hike and/or scenic outlooks), hit the road, stop in Page mid-afternoon for the late-ish Antelope Canyon Tour, and then get to Bryce shortly after dark. I know this is a long day of driving, but in theory, we should have time the day before to explore GCNP, and not spend too much time there the following morning.
Is this unrealistic? Am I not giving enough credit to how long this day will really be?

Also, what kind of weather can I expect mid-end of May in these areas? I have heard that they can be really hot or really cold and will fluctuate. I'm wondering if it will be a waste to rent a convertible for this leg of the trip if we are going to keep the top up the entire way!

Any suggestions you have will be well received and appreciated. Thanks!

I already think your spending the bare minimum time in each place. I could easily spend a week in Zion and several days in Bryce. If anything, cut a day from Vegas. You can do The Grand Canyon in a day, if you aren't doing much hiking or rafting.

I bet you will be able to use your convertible in the afternoons.

Try to get lodging "in park" if you can. Bryce Lodge, Zion Lodge, and there are 3 or 4 at the South Rim. Sunrise and Sunset can be spectacular in these areas, so plan accordingly. I can never remember, but do take in consideration of the time change between Arizona, Utah, and Nevada. They do some strange things in those states-daylight savings time, different time zone for part of the year on indian reservations(just double check time zones). Maybe it isn't strange, I just always seem to get it confused.

I would highly reccomend The Narrows at Zion. Do rent some shoes from Zion Adventure Company and have a hiking stick or pole. You might want to rent the pant/wetsuit if it is cold.


I assume you are only going a mile or two down in the Grand Canyon. You can't a down and back in one day unless you are in very serious condition.

I don't think you can drive from Zion to Vegas in 2.5 hrs.

Four years ago I did a similar trip but in the other direction.

First, how long do you intend to be in Sedona?

In my opinion the town is really nothing. However, when you do a bit of hiking in the Red Rocks it's spectacular.

Sedona should get at least a day with a sunset (mu choice is Cathedral Rock across Oak Creek from the Picnic Area). Two great hikes are Boynton Canyon Vista (not the much longer Boynton Canyon hike) and Broken Arrow (many people do this as a Pink Jeep tour. I spent three days there but went on quite a few hikes.

Count on at least a sunset and 2-3 short hike part way down into GC.

In Page, if all you do is Antelope Canyon you're missing a great site. Horseshoe Bend. You'll pass right by it on the way to Page. It's just south of 98 on 89. A 3/4 mile level walk in the hot sand and an amazing view 1000 feet down.

In Bryce you should at least get up very early and get to Bryce Point for sunrise. That's why I'd opt for inpark lodging. If it's not available call every day until you get a cancelation. There will be some as you get closer.

I was at Bryce at the end of May, mid-May and mid-Sept (and I thought my first visit would be my only one - just different people). The first time there was snow on the ground my second morning. The second time it snowed on the way in and the third time was beautiful.

I was in Zion twice. Late May and mid-Sept. Sunny and pretty warm (hot) both times.

The drive between Zion and Bryce is a bit under 2 hours. Depends on trafic.

About the weather. Bryce is about 4000 feet higher than Zion. So an easy Navajo Loop / Queens Garden hike becomes a bit more strenuous due to the lack of oxygen. Also, make sure you have suntan lotion on and drink lots of water. Hiking at 8,000 feet in the sun can cause some damage.

You can see my photos at:
www.travelwalks.com

A few trips to select from.

Do try for in park lodging, especially at Grand Canyon. If the web site indicates they are full, call every day as people make reservations a long time in advance and then cancel as the time gets close.

If you get into Phoenix early and head straight for GC, you would have time to hike a bit there the first day. Sedona is very nice, but if you are not planning to hike there, you will see as spectacular red rock on the way from Bryce to Zion, IMHO, maybe more spectacular.

The drive from Zion to Vegas is about 3 hrs if you keep it close to the speed limit and don't hit traffic close to Vegas.

You could do this trip as a loop from Vegas a lot more inexpensively. Lower car rental rates and no drop off fees. It would be a little longer but could be done in either direction.

After reading spiro's response I definitely agree. You're not allowing enough time for anything other than driving.

From Phoenix airport to GC is a minimum of 4 hours without stopping.

I really don't have too much of a problem with day 2.

Day 3 wouldn't have too much of a problem with day 3 if the timing was better. You want to see Horseshoe bend and Antelope Canyon when the sun is high in the sky. Allow 2-3 hours for them.

Day 4 could work if you're efficient.

Day 5. I did somethin similar with my daughter. We got to Zion in the evening. By 8:30 the next morning we were on our way up Angel's Landing. We went as far as Scouts Lookout (she wanted to do the rest but. . .) When we got down 3 hours later we stopped for a snack and walked Riverside Walk (on the way to the Narrows). When we got back we sat on the lawn for a while and listened to a Ranger talk before starting to Las Vegas.

Zion to LV is longer than 2.5 hours. Unless you want to risk being stopped. There's some interesting driving.

A why 2 days in LV?

Thank you all for your responses.

So in conclusion, combining day 2 & 3 (GC - Page - Bryce) is not a good idea?

We are only planning to stop in Sedona for lunch. I have been to most of the places above and agree that with limited time, I'd rather spend time in Bryce then Sedona. We will have PLENTY of red rock to see in Zion/Bryce!

Thanks for the advice about checking for cancellations. I assumed once they were full, they were full. I will check back. I will also revise the drive time from Zion to LV.

We might be able to cut a day out of LV. We have friends that live there, so we wanted to spend some time with them.

We will definitely have to look into flying in and out of LV rather then a one-way trip, I agree it might be cheaper, it would just add on some travel time (~1 hour, from what I understand?)

I picked up the car in LV and dropped it in PHX. They charged about 100. more for the honor of delivering a car to Arizona with AZ plates for them.

If you're going to do anything at GC such as some of a hike, you'll get to Page too late to really enjoy the main attractions (Horseshoe Bend and Antelope Canyon).

I understand you can't dance at every wedding so Sedona is just a lunch pit stop.

The problem with moving around so much is that you waste a lot of time checking in and out of motels.

About inpark lodging. There are bus tours that book blocks of room in Bryce & Zion. As they get close to their dates (withing the last 30 days) they see what they don't need and release them.

These dates never get on the computer as people are constantly calling. You want to call every few days and in the last two months every day until you get your reservation.

So far I've always gotten what I wanted.

Just out of curiosity - what are the cops like out there? We are NJ drivers (aka, we have heavy feet). Should we beware? Really stick to the posted speed limits?

The highways generally have 75 mph limits, the smaller roads are less, lots of them are 65, but you must be aware of animals in the road. There are lots of places where they have open range. That means that horses and cattle wander where they choose, just like the deer. I haven't tested the police by going much over the limit, maybe someone else has.

emalloy is correct.

We were driving on a smaller road and ended up behind a heard of cattle.

Coming back from Willis Creek we drove up a dirt road and there were cows all over the road. One was nursing.

Early in the morning and late in the day you may find wildlife crossing the roads. More animals are killed in road accidents than any other way.

Unless you're used to highways like Rte 12 you may have trouble getting up to the speed limit.

- - - -
While some of your days are very doable, I now see what was bothering me. You are not spending more than one night in any one place.

I did that with my daughter in mid-September. However, we were only there for 3 days.

Correct... we are not planning to spend more then 1 night in any given place. We're planning to get to the parks by late afternoon, early evening and wake up nice and early to explore the following morning. We aren't huge hikers and don't have a lot of time/money to spend on this trip, but we'd still like to get a feel for what this area of the country has to offer.

We have a second leg of this trip planned as well. Flying to San Francisco from Vegas and hitting Yosemite, Pacific Coastal Highway, LAX and San Diego, which will take another 7-10 days to complete.

How was your experience with your daughter? Too rushed? I'm worried about missing out on some things, but I think I would rather see a little bit of everything then spend too much time in one place. Maybe that's the wrong approach.

Thanks :)

I think you have the wrong approach, but your plan isn't to bad. I am not sure where you have hiked, but there are many hikes in both segments of your trip that are spectacular.

I have been to many National Parks. Some of my very favorite hikes are Angels Landing and The Narrows(both in Zion) and The Mist Trail in Yosemite. All of these are somewhat adventurous and somewhat strenuous. I would hesitate to say dangerous, but they will get your attention.

I think you'll have a great time and will be going back to all of them again. I have been to Utah 3 or 4 years in a row and going back again at the end of May.



If you can at all spend at least 3 days in Yosemite. You really need one day in Maripossa Grove, 1 or 2 days in the Valley, 1 day in Hetch Hetchy, and 1 day in the high country. The high country probably won't be open in May. The waterfalls should be rolling like crazy in May/June. I probably would avoid Memorial Day weekend there. We were there the weekend before last year and it wasn't to crowded.

AMT6,

My daughter is grown, married and the mother of a 4 year old daughter. So she's not a kid.

Last spring she suggested we go on one of "my" trips. Since I'm getting older and new aches and pains keep hitting me, I suggested we go in Sept (2010).

She set the time limits so as to keep not seeing her husband and daughter to a minimum. Five days including travel in both directions (4 nights). Essentially, that gave us 3 days.

Since time was very limited I decided on places I've been to so we could be efficient.

We went to:
Valley of Fire (on the way from Las Vegas to Escalante)
Zion Kolob Canyons (also on the way from LV to Escalente)
Devils Garden Escalente
Drove on part of the famous Rte 12
Lower Calf Creek Falls
Bryce Canyon (sunrise at Bryce Point and hiked Navajo Loop / Queens Garden)
A little hike between Bryce and Zion (don't remember the name and we should have done Canyon Overlook entering Zion instead but tried something different)
Zion (Angel's Landing as far as Scouts Lookout & Riverside walk).

She survived it.
It was fun.

If you're still interested in eliminating a day, I'd skip Page and drive straight from the Grand Canyon to Bryce.

I'd also reduce the stay in Vegas -- but only if you weren't visting friends!